Cruise Control 2012-W49

I feel fortunate that most of my holiday season tasks are accomplished and what few remain are well-organized and doable.  What lies behind this miracle?  A few years back my family decided we would stop exchanging gifts among the adults and limit it to the children.  Of which there are only two, so shopping is a breeze and I aim to get'er done in November.  All presents have been delivered and now my biggest challenges will be waking up for my flight.  And "the tree".

Never ever have I spent Christmas alone.  (Ironic, because I appear as an extra in Home Alone.)  For most of my years I've put up the family tree — since before I started shaving — and except for a few years in the 1970's, my mother insists on a real tree.  She particularly fancies a prickly sticky variety of fir, and as tedious as all that can sometimes be, I'd rather put the tree up than take it down.  One aspect I do enjoy is hanging some of many ornaments I made as a lad.  Some are painted, others rendered in whatever craft was current at the time.  "Decoupage" springs to mind although I forget now what exactly that was.  Regardless, it's always nice to see those "old friends" along with the dozens more ornaments I've bought through the years.

This year, mum only wants a small tree, and so on the one hand it will be fast and easy to put up.  But on the other hand, how will I choose which ornaments make the cut?  Still, a tiny tree seems apropos for the very few packages that will nestle beneath.  Which brings me to my thought for the day:  why stress about the shopping and the myriad other preparations?  The wisest among us know that Christmas comes without presents and without decorations and without a roast beast.  As a Grinch would tell you, it comes just the same without any of the trappings...  Christmas joy is in our grasp so long as we have hands to clasp.

I'll say more about that in a week or two, so meanwhile take a deep breath and enjoy this so-so landscape.  Give yourself the gift of relaxation, if only for a minute!  And for those who are curious about such things, Loch Eilt is in western Scotland... about 40 miles as the golden eagle flies from where my family sprung.  And as anyone who's driven in Scotland can appreciate, only 90 miles by automobile.  Peace!

Study of Loch Eilt Shoreline